From the Bookshelf of Ranters and Reviewers…

You Should See Me in a Crown

Leah Johnson

Start date: December 1, 2020

Finish date: December 31, 2020

Discussion: BOTM

Why we're reading this: December Standalone BOTM
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November 2021 Series BOTM Suggestions
By Sofia , duckish things · 9 posts · 19 views

last updated Oct 21, 2021 11:56PM

October 2021 Continuation BOTM: The Wicked King
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last updated Oct 21, 2021 11:55PM

What Members Thought

Jun 11, 2020 Salma19 (And I Darken stan) marked it as to-read

Shelves: to-get-from-the-library

#BlackLivesMatter #BlackStoriesMatter
I am incredibly glad this book is getting so much attention. A strong amount of attention leading to be already sold out in big bookstores. 😅
I guess I am going to wait for a bit before getting my hands on it, but this book is worth it🖤.

17 likes · Like · see review

Dec 21, 2020 Amelie rated it really liked it

Shelves: buddy-read, standalones

“We are not above mistakes, not stronger than death, but we sure know how to love. Even if it isn’t always perfect, especially when it’s a little messy, we know how to love one another fiercely. With everything we have.”

You Should See me in a Crown follows Elizabeth “Liz” Lighty who misses out on receiving a scholarship into the college of her dreams, and decides to run for her school prom king/queen contest in hopes of receiving the financial prize that comes with winning. I thought it was an e “We are not above mistakes, not stronger than death, but we sure know how to love. Even if it isn’t always perfect, especially when it’s a little messy, we know how to love one another fiercely. With everything we have.”

You Should See me in a Crown follows Elizabeth “Liz” Lighty who misses out on receiving a scholarship into the college of her dreams, and decides to run for her school prom king/queen contest in hopes of receiving the financial prize that comes with winning. I thought it was an enjoyable book which successfully promoted LGBTQ+ representation and acceptance, and delivered a strong message about believing in yourself. While the story idea and simple resolution did seem a little unrealistic to me, the book itself still gave me so many happy feels and I highly enjoyed it!

“Because I’m done letting people stop me. Because here, always, we deserve this good thing.”

I absolutely loved reading about Liz and Mack’s relationship develop over the course of the book, and how the LGBTQ+ theme came into play. Their interactions were adorable, and this was such a cute, light-hearted read! I loved reading about Liz’s character development, and her determination to win the prom competition despite her social awkwardness, and how because of Mack she was challenged to question her desires and decisions, and eventually grew more confident in embracing her true self and her relationship with Mack. The only thing that bothered me was their communication issues, as I had wanted Liz to be more direct and honest about her motives to win the prom contest. However, I was satisfied with the way things were resolved, and the outcome of their relationship in the end.

“And I know then what I’ve always known: Campbell is never going to make a space for me to fit. I’m going to have to demand it.”

The other side characters were also incredibly interesting to read about especially with their complex personalities. In particular, I really liked Jordan’s character and how he rebuilt his former friendship with Liz, and they grew to trust each other once again. I definetely enjoyed reading about his interactions with Liz, and his caring and witty nature. Gabi was another character I grew fond of. While I was initially annoyed with her pushiness and interference in Liz’s social life, she was still well-intentioned and I’m glad she did redeem herself towards the end and acted as a true friend to Liz. I also really enjoyed reading about Liz’s relationship with her family, and how they were always there for each other regardless of the losses they faced and the financial issues they struggled to overcome. They were incredibly accepting of her identity and always there for her!

Overall, this was a great contemporary read, which promoted LGBTQ+ representation especially with its inclusion of a queer black protagonist, and had a great message of believing in yourself and accepting others. I loved how we got to see the wider community support Liz and Mack’s relationship by challenging the homophobia and injustices present in the school. The book was incredibly uplifting and inspiring, and I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking a light contemporary book, or a book with LGBTQ+ representation!

#JusticeForMighty

4.5/5 stars ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Nov 08, 2020 ☆Pelumi☆ rated it it was amazing

THIS WAS A FUN RIDE!

13 likes · Like · see review

Feb 17, 2022 Cass (all too tired) rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, uncomfy-ness, lgbtqia-rep, award-nominees

Adorable characters, but I found myself just not caring at points. A lot of the conflict is miscommunication, which could be solved with a conversation. But it’s a wlw romcom set in high school, so that’s amazing.

Good, but not spectacular.

3.5 stars

7 likes · Like · see review

Oct 28, 2022 akacya ❦ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ownvoices, audience-young-adult, genre-contemporary, black-authors, format-audiobook

when she’s passed up for a scholarship at her dream school, liz knows she has to find a way to make up the difference. she decides to run for prom queen, since whoever is crowned queen is awarded a $10,000 scholarship. the only problem? liz is not a typical prom queen—she has to go from not wanting any attention to needing as much attention as she can get to be crowned.

first, i absolutely loved liz. as this was a character-driven novel revolving around her, i definitely wouldn’t have rated this ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Dec 10, 2020 Kelsea Janae Hamm rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: emilysbookclub, end-of-2020-reads

This Book Is The Most Cutest Book I Have Ever Read
I Loved Reading This Book And I Loved The LGTBQ Rep In This Novel
Our Main Character Liz Is Queer And I Loved Reading About A Queer Character And Just It Was Cute And Very Fluffy
Being A Bisexual Transgender Women I Really Like Reading LGTBQ Novels And This One Is On My Top 10 For The End Of The Year

6 likes · Like · see review

Dec 07, 2020 Alice rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: anticipated-releases-2020, queer, read-in-2020, audiobooks, young-adult, 3-star, contemporary-fiction

Oh my god, everything about this book was utterly perfect. Sure, a bit of it seemed a bit far fetched and unrealistic, but I can deal with that. I was definitely in need of a fun and quick read like this one. Super cute, super fun, definitely recommend checking it out. It also covered lots of issues in a way that felt organic and not forced, which is a plus.

5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 20, 2020 ATheReader rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-ya

OMG this book is honestly everything. This is the first book/only book I remember crying for. I can’t explain how this impacted me. 💕

Edit 7/12/2021- A terrible review of a terrific book. I truly love this book and I think that anyone can find joy in it.

3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 13, 2020 Lyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary

Campbell is never going to make a space for me to fit. I'm going to have to demand it.
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Wow, what should I say. Writing a review for a book that left you overwhelmed by all sorts of emotions is way more difficult than ranting about a bad book.
Liz is a black girl at a predominantly white school, running to become the prom queen because she needs the scholarship that comes with it do get to her dream school. Her mum passed away due to Sickle Cell Disease and she has always wanted Liz to go to that ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 20, 2019 我是🌹 marked it as to-read

Feb 21, 2020 magdalena dolorico marked it as to-read

Mar 22, 2020 Tina Haigler marked it as to-read

3 likes · Like

Jan 28, 2021 -ˏˋclaraˊˎ- rated it really liked it

6 likes · Like

Jun 07, 2020 Roxy_reads marked it as to-read

Jun 08, 2020 A C marked it as to-read

Jul 04, 2020 Daisy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020, ya

Jun 20, 2020 Sofia marked it as to-read

Jun 20, 2020 Jess marked it as to-read

Jul 08, 2020 Briney rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, copy-physical, mental-health, everyone-loved-more-than-me, standalones, realistic-fiction, multicultural, 3-stars, race-poc, teen-romance

1 like · Like